Hannah Felsbourg
7 November 2024
Christians have been urged to place trust in God rather than in political figures as the 2024 US presidential election outcome continues to unfold.
Anglican leaders have encouraged believers to prioritise respect, integrity and gospel hope, acting as a steadying presence in a divided world.
With the announcement of Donald Trump returning to office, the election continues to hold worldwide attention.
Ridley College theologian the Reverend Michael Bird said the most important thing for Christians to remember was that their citizenship was in heaven.
He said while Christians had to be good citizens and build for the Kingdom in this world, their ultimate allegiance was to God rather than any politician or political office.
Dr Bird said Christians also had to avoid tribalism and an unwillingness to call out their own preferred parties for things they have done wrong.
He said Christians should talk about politics with their values sharpened by Christian tradition and look for what is best for their country.
Read more: An honest look at a Christian navigating politics: Plans for Your Good
Dr Bird said he would like to see religious leaders be more discerning rather than reactive and less committed to a particular tribe.
He said it was important to recognise that politics were complex, and no side was going to entirely represent the things that Christians may have normally gravitated to.
Dr Bird said he would like to see politicians engage directly with religious communities more rather than relying on media portrayals for their view towards religion.
He said he would like to see them uphold the basic rights of classic liberalism, including freedom of speech, association, conscience and thought.
Sydney Anglican minister and author the Reverend Michael Jensen said it was important for Christians to remember God was sovereign and Jesus was lord.
He said Christians were to abstain from political anxiety, instead becoming communities of gospel hope and following Jesus as Lord, even amid disagreement.
Christians were obedient to the state, but only worshipped one God, and in doing so could demonstrate that any political outcome was far from fatal.
Read more: A timely text as we face political turmoil: Jesus and the Powers
Dr Jensen said one way Christians could contribute positively to the conversation was by disagreeing with respect and integrity, something society was lacking.
He said there was a pressure to be fully aligned with each other, but sometimes people mistakenly believed they had to agree on everything.
Instead, Christians could model disagreeing in a better way, which could be a calm response to the loss of common ground and shared values in society.
Dr Jensen said the strength of American democracy was that the presidency would be reviewed every four years.
He said America’s government structure made it very difficult to centralise authoritarian power.
Christians had always been amongst the leading voices arguing for this kind of arrangement for this reason.
Dr Jensen said politicians needed to do better to understand religious people and the value they added to the community.
He said he would like to see politicians make sure that there was space and freedom for religion. That included for all religions as well as no religion.
“I think that’s their particular God given role, to get out of the way, not tell religious leaders and religious people what they should think, but to make appropriate space for them to flourish,” he said.
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